i3 - January/February 2017 - 97

By Gary Arlen

Business

C S PAC E

VR Plunges Into the
Storytelling Mix

 V

irtual reality (VR) is emerging as a viable content
format for scripted programming, advertising, news
and sportscasts. From the National Basketball
Association VR game of the week, to USA Today's
"VRtually There" news show (co-produced with YouTube) and
Huffington Post's "Big Picture" (produced with Hulu),

PETAR CHERNAEV/ISTOCK

VR content is using viewing hardware
ranging from Facebook's Oculus Rift
equipment to the latest HTC Vive
and Samsung headsets to Sony's new
PlayStationVR.
Oculus is working with Disney to
include VR experiences for Blade Runner
2049 to be distributed on the Oculus
platform for the 2017 film release.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says,
"We're here to make VR the next major
computing platform."
Fox used VR for its seventh season
debut of The Walking Dead, putting
audiences into The Riding Dead VR
zombie outbreak. And NBA Digital, the
league's unit managed by the NBA and
Turner Sports, is working with NextVR

to produce gamecasts with multiple
camera angles, optimized graphics plus
access to behind-the-scenes VR content
during the games.
The Huffington Post and VR studio
RYOT also launched a ten-part Big
Picture: News in Virtual Reality series for
the Hulu VR app. Viewers could plunge
in using the new Google Daydream and
Samsung Gear VR viewers.
Meanwhile, Hollywood shining lights,
including Steven Spielberg, are developing
VR productions. Jim Mainard, EVP of
digital strategy, DreamWorks Animation,
at a conference, predicted that "2019 may
be where we turn the corner for revenue."

Marketers Eye VR
With that financial promise and the
stunning content in the pipeline,
companies such as Toyota,
PepsiCo, Marriott and Volvo are
jumping into the virtual space.
At a media conference in New
York, PepsiCo's Adam Harter, VP
of cultural connections, called
VR an "arms race" for creating
experiences. Pepsi's Mountain Dew
brand placed commercials within
NBA games that were produced in
VR, aimed at a target audience.
Toyota is the first sponsor
for "VRtually There," creating
"cubemercials," 360° ads that
give viewers a virtual ride
in a Camry across Australia's
outback. Although it's not yet a
commercial, Volvo has distributed

an app to promote its XC90 SUV, also
offering a VR ride in the country. The
Marriott VR experience includes "teleportation" to a Hawaiian beach, which
the company calls "revolutionary 4D
tourism."
Robert Stromberg, a founder and chief
creative officer of the Virtual Reality
Company, says VR entertainment and
marketing will take on new forms.
Stromberg, who directed The Martian
VR Experience, called VR creators "new
pioneers with bold ideas moving into
the unknown." He added, "It's still early
in defining what this new medium is or
will become."
Emotional branding, the core of storytelling, and the immersive capabilities
of VR fit the model that marketers have
created for "a captivating brand story."
Brand managers cite emotion, authenticity
and personal connections as the core to
effective content marketing. VR fulfills that
checklist. For example, allied with the C
Space agenda at CES, Turner Sports will
present the Sports Business Innovation
showcase including its ELEAGUE virtual
race with 20 Formula E drivers and 10
international fans. The track will include
a zip along the Las Vegas Strip, and be
available via Twitch, for gamers.
Such pioneering plunges into the evolving
virtual entertainment world underscore
the changing nature of marketing. ■

C SPACE EVENTS
AT CES
C Space will feature demonstrations
and sessions on content marketing,
brand development and technology.
For example, the free "Storyteller"
sessions on January 5-6 showcase:
● Google: How to leverage mobile
and AI to grow brands.
● Verizon Digital Media Services:
How over-the-top strategies and
technologies can engage audiences
and make money.
● Turner: How brands are using VR,
AI, social optimization and wearable
technology to connect with fans.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

97
i3 - January/February 2017

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